Pressing iron



Dec. 21, 1965 l. JEPSON ETAL 3,224,122

PRESSING IRON Filed Nov. 9, 1962 6 SheetsSheet l as a mum I Z/ V '7INVENTOR.

Dec. 21, 1965 l. JEPSON ETAL PRESSING IRON 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov.9, 1962 Dec 21, 1965 a. JEPSON ETAL PRESSING IRON 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FiledNov. 9, 1962 INVENTOR. MW? JAPSO/V, JOSt'P/S Z V/[CfA 5774/1 45 W4LCZAKaw/PM United States Patent 3,224,122 PRESfiiNG IRON Ivar l'epsen, OakPark, Joseph L. Vieceli, Cicero, and Stanley Walczak, Chicago, Ill.,assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, (Ihicago, llL, a corporation ofIllinois Filed Nov. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 236,510 21 Claims. (Cl. 38-77) Thepresent invention relates generally to pressing irons and moreparticularly to pressing irons capable of selectively operating as asteam iron, a dry iron or a spray iron. Specifically, the presentinvention is related to the invention disclosed and claimed in copendingJepson and Vieceli application, Serial No. 203,500, filed June 19, 1962.

Since the extensive use of synthetic fabrics, the steam iron has becomean essential household tool and today it is probably used more than whatis referred to as the dry iron. Many fabrics can be smoothed effectivelyonly upon the application of heat when moisture is contained in thefabric and long before the steam iron became a household necessity, flatirons or pressing irons were provided with means for sprinkling orspraying the clothes. In the above-mentioned lepson and Viecelicopending application, there is disclosed a combined dry, steam andspray iron wherein two separate and distinct flash-type steam generatorsare employed. In this iron, steam is generated in a first generator ofthe flash-boiler type and this steam is supplied through ports in thesole plate so that the iron functions as a conventional steam iron.Additionally, a separate and independent flash-type steam generator isemployed which is used not only to aspirate water from the waterreservoir for spray purposes but to break the water particles into avery fine spray so that the fabric is not injured by drops of water orthe like. The present invention similarly employs two separate andindependent steam generators.

In steam and spray irons it has been common practice to have a waterreservoir of relatively small volume built into the iron. Obviously,such a reservoir holds only a limited quantity of water. The user ofsuch iron ha no way of knowing how much water is in the reservoir exceptthat when no further steam is obtainable the user could assume that thereservoir was empty. It would be desirable for the user to be able totell at all times what the situation is with regard to the contents ofthe water reservoir.

The pressing iron, today, whether it be a steam iron or a combined steamand spray iron includes a number of manually actuatable controlsincluding a temperature control, a steam control, and in the case of aspray iron, a spray control. The housewife desires that the means foractuating these controls be located for fingertip manipulation. At thesame time, the arrangement of these controls should provide a pleasingappearance. The temperature-responsive means controlling the temperatureat which the sole plate operates must, of course, be located adjacentthe sole plate, which is commonly beneath the rear portion of the waterreservoir in the steam or the steam and spray iron. In order thatmanually operated temperature control means adjacent the top forwardportion of the handle may be operatively connected to a thermalresponsive means located below the rear portion of the reservoir, verycomplicated means have heretofore been provided, many times includingpassageways through the reservoir which add to the expense and decreasethe volume of water that the reservoir will hold. It would be desirableto provide an improved means for transmitting motion from manual controlmeans adjacent the top forward portion of the handle to the thermalresponsive means beneath the reservoir adjacent the rear of the soleplate without requiring a passageway through the water reservoir.

3,224,122 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 In the above-mentioned Jepson andVieceli application, a separate cover was provided for the first steamgenerating chamber for generating steam so that the iron may be operatedas a conventional flash-type steam iron and the separate cover was alsoprovided for the second steam generating chamber used to generate thesteam for powering the spray. It would be desirable to provide twoseparate and independent flash-type steam generating chambers with acommon cover, thereby simplifying the construction and reducing thecost.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved pressing iron of the dry, steam and spray type.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pressing ironemploying a water reservoir with means to indicate readily to thehousewife the water level in such reservoir.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide in a pressingiron an improved handle construction including a transparent portion atthe top thereof permitting the user to view through this transparentportion the various settings of the control means of the iron a well asthe level of the liquid contained in the water reservoir of the iron.

Still another object of the present invention resides in an improvedcontrol arrangement in a steam iron for readily controlling thetemperature settings thereof without complicated linkage means and thelike leading from the top forward portion of the handle to thetemperature responsive means associated with the sole plate of the iron.

It i another object of the present invention to provide an improvedspray control means for the steam iron of the present invention.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedcover plate for the two steam generators of a steam iron wherein onesteam generator is utilized to produce steam for operation of the ironas a steam iron and the other is used to produce steam for operating thespray.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings in :hich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressing iron embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, somewhat enlarged, of the pressing iron ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 with certain portions not fully cut away more clearly toillustrate the invention and with the switch controlling the currentsupply to the iron in the OFF position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3,assuming that FIG. 3 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 ofFIG. 3 with certain portions cut away, again assuming that FIG. 3 showsthe complete structure;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3, againassuming that FIG. 3 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 3, again assumingthat FIG. 3 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of FIG. 3 again assumingthat FIG. 3 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the cover for the steam generating chambers,a top view being included in FIG. 8;

FIG. is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line Iii-14 ofFIG. 8, assuming FIG. 8 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 1111 ofFIG. 3 again assuming that FIG. 3 shows the complete structure; and

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of the pressing iron of the presentinvention supported on the heel rest therefor with certain portions cutaway to illustrate the liquid level indicating means.

Briefly, the present invention is concerned with a pressing iron whichwill function both as a steam and as a dry iron and which also functionsas a spray iron when desired. The spray is powered by a flash-type steamgenerator entirely separate and independent from the flash-type steamgenerator supplying steam to the iron when functioning as an ordinarysteam iron, whereby the steam generator may be operated at a higherpressure than is possible with the generator supplying steam for anordinary flash-type steam iron. A manually actuatable pump supplieswater to the spray generator and a common reservoir supplies water toboth the spray and steam generators. The handle is provided withchambers housing various controls and a transparent top is provided forthe handle through which all the controls except the pump control arevisible, including means for indicating the level of the liquid in thereservoir when the iron is tipped up on its heel rest, which heel restin a preferred embodiment is formed of a molded plastic material. Thepressing iron includes an improved mechanical connection between thetemperature control knob and the temperature responsive means which inno way interferes with the water reservoir and yet provides a verysimple and compact arrangement. A common cover is used for both steamgenerators. The spray control comprises a trigger mounted on theunderside of the handle so that the operator by means of the thumb andforefinger during the ironing operation may actuate all of the controls.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 12 anelectric pressing iron which in many respects is quite similar to thatdisclosed in the abovementioned copending Jepson and Vieceliapplication. Insofar as the features which are essentially the same asthose disclosed in the above-mentioned copending application areconcerned, they will be rather briefly described herein. As a matter offact, a number of features are very similar to the features of thepressing iron disclosed and claimed in Jepson et al. Patent No.2,906,043, granted September 29, 1959, and assigned to the same assigneeas the instant application. The pressing iron 20 comprises a sole plate21, preferably constructed of a lightweight cast metal, such as aluminumor the like. This sole plate 21 is heated in a conventional manner by anelectric heating element 22 of the sheathed type (FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8and 10). Sheathed heating elements are well known and generally comprisea helical resistance conductor centrally disposed within an outer sheathand supported in spaced relationship with respect to a sheath by anelectrical insulating material which is also a good heat conductor. Suchinsulating material may comprise highly compressed magnesium oxide. Asin the above-mentioned Jepson et al. patent, the sheathed heatingelement 22 preferably has a generally U-shaped configuration (FIG. 6)or, in other words, is in the shape of a hairpin. Also, as is best shownin FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 of the drawings, the sole plate isprovided with a raised integral U-shaped rib 23 in which the sheathedheating element 22 is embedded. Projecting from the ends of the sheathedheating element 22 are electrical terminals 24a and 24b (FIGS. 5 and 11)which, as is fully disclosed in the above-mentioned Jepson et al.patent, are electrically connected in a circuit including a switchcontrolled by a temperature responsive device for controlling theheating of the sole plate 21 in any desired selected manner.

In order to produce steam on the flash principle and supply it beneaththe sole plate 21 of the pressing iron 20, there is provided a steamgenerating chamber 25 which is in good heat transfer relationship withthe heating element 22 and is defined within the space bounded by theoutside edge of the U-shaped rib 23 and a vertical wall of cross member26. The stream generating chamber 25 is best shown in FIG. 6 of thedrawings, but is also illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 10 of the drawings.The particular construction of the steam generating chamber 25 and thesteam flow therein starting with the supply of water thereto and theconversion of this water to dry steam is such as to insure intimate heatexchange relationship with the heating element 22 while still permittinga somewhat similar relationship of the heating element with respect tothe independent spray steam generator described hereinafter. Asillustrated, water enters the steam generating chamber forwardly of anarcuate raised rib 27 having a pair of rearwardly directed wings andthen flows rearwardly through channels 28a and 28b and through alabyrinth passageway defined by U-shaped raised portions 29a and 295 soas to be quickly converted into steam. A pair of forwardly directedpassages 36a and 3% permit the steam to flow forwardly very close to theheating element 22 up to barriers 34a and 34b which together with meansdescribed hereinafter direct the steam directly along the fiat top ofrib 23 to the front of the iron through passageways 35a and 35]) (FIGS.4, 9 and 10) where the steam, which by now is free from water droplets,can flow rearwardly through an opening 36a in the inner wall definingthe passageways 35a and 35b. The steam then passes into passageways 30cand 36d in the sole plate 21 which passageways extend rearwardly alongthe inner surface of rib 23 terminating in the barriers 34a and 34b. Thesteam is then discharged through ports 31 which lead to the underside ofthe sole plate and which are distributed over a substantial area of theironing surface of the pressing iron 20. The sole plate 21 is preferablyprovided with a plurality of elongated grooves 32 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 10)which may be identical with those disclosed in FIG. 7 of theabove-mentioned Jepson et al. patent. The steam pressure in the steamgenerating chamber 25, due to the presence of the continuously openports 31, is generally less than one pound per square inch.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided in the soleplate 21 a second steam generating chamber designated by the referencenumeral 33 which is the U-shaped chamber disposed immediately outsidethe rib 23 so as to be closely adjacent the heating element 22, just asis the steam generating chamber 25. However, this steam does not flowalong the top of rib 23 as provided by the steam generator 25. As willbecome apparent from the ensuing description, the steam generatingchamber 33 is used to provide steam for powering a liquid spray and, asin the above-mentioned Iepson and Vieceli application, a much highersteam pressure is developed in the spray steam generating chamber 33than in the steam generating chamber 25.

In order to complete the steam generating chambers, there is provided acommon cover 36, best shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings,which is secured to the top of the sole plate by suitable fasteningmeans 37. The underside of the cover 36, best shown in FIG. 9 of thedrawings, is provided with depending ribs cooperating with the portions26, 27 and 29a, 29b, 34a and 34b of the sole plate 211 to define thesteam passageways for both steam generating chambers 25 and 33. Thepassageways 35a and 35b as shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings are definedprimarily by the cover 36 and, of course, the top of rib 23.Consequently, the rib 23 has the top thereof defined in a plane which iscommon with the tops of the ribs 26, 27, 29a and 29b, and barriers 34aand 34b and a U-shaped rib 38 defining the outer boundary of the spraysteam generating chamber 33. For locating the common cover 36, the topof the sole plate 23 is preferably provided with a pair of openings 39and 40 (FIG. 3) for receiving corresponding projections 36a and 3612 onthe underside of cover 36, as best shown in FIGS. 3, 6 and 9. The cover36 is further provided with an opening 41 through which water may besupplied to the steam generating chamber 25 through a conventionalneedle valve, as is well understood by those skilled in the art.Additionally, the cover 36 is provided with a water inlet opening 42 anda steam outlet opening 43 (FIGS. 9 and both being connected to the spraysteam generating chamber 33. The water inlet 42 is connected to the endof one leg and the steam outlet 43 is connected to the end of the otherleg of the spray steam generating chamber 33 whereby in passing from theinlet to the outlet through the U-shaped steam generating chamber 33,water supplied thereto is quicky flashed into steam. It will beunderstood, that as in the copending Jepson and Vieceli application, thespray steam generator 33 is completely independent of the steamgenerator 25, and, consequently, it may be designed to produce muchhigher pressures than could be developed in the steam generator 25.Preferably a pressure of between thirty and fifty pounds per square inchis desirable in the spray steam generator 33.

For the purpose of supplying water to the steam generating chamber 25,there is provided in much the same manner as in the above-mentionedJepson et al. patent a valve body member 44 which has the lower endthereof secured to the cover 36 of the steam generating chambers and 33so that this valve body controls the flow of water through the opening41 in the cover 36. As in the abovementioned Jepson patent, the valvebody 44, which preferably has the lower end of reduced cross sectioninserted through the opening 41 and peened over so as to be firmlysecured thereto acts as a support for the water reservoir generallydesignated at 45 which has a suitable opening therein aligned with apassageway defined in the valve body 44. A suitable bushing nut 46(FIGS. 3, 7, 8 and 10) secures the reservoir 45 to the common cover 36of the steam generating chambers 25 and 33 and, hence, of course,secures the water reservoir to the sole plate 21. At the same time, themember 46 defines a metering orifice which may be selectively opened orcontrolled by raising and lowering a metering valve element 47.

From the above description, it will be apparent that water under theforce of gravity enters the steam generating chamber 25 immediatelybeneath the needle valve element 4-7, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 ofthe drawings. This water, which is quickly flashed into steam by virtueof the high temperature of the walls defining the steam generatingchamber 25, moves rearwardly through labyrinth passageways and thenforwardly along the inside walls and on top of the U-shaped rib 23defining the passageways a and3lb, whereby dry steam will pass throughthe ports 31 and into the grooves 32 defined on the underside of thesole plate. Preferably, the water reservoir is provided with aconventional baffle 48 (FIGS. 3 and 7) clamped in place by the lower endof a stud 49 which has a threaded end 4% projecting from the top ofwater reservoir 45 and in sealed relationship therewith.

In order selectively to control the temperature of the sole plate 21,there is provided a thermoresponsive control device generally designatedat 50 and which is preferably mounted in a well 51 defined on the upperside and toward the rear of the sole plate 21, as best shown in FIGS. 3,5 and 11 of the drawings. The temperature responsive control device 59is preferably mounted beneath the water reservoir 45 and between thelegs of the U- shaped rib 23 rearwardly of the wall 26 defining the rearwall of the steam generating chamber 25. It comprises the conventionalbimetallic element 52 secured to the sole plate 21 by fastening means52a which element 52 controls the opening and closing of a switch 53defined by a pair of relatively movable contacts 53a and 53b,respectively (FIGS. 3 and 11). In accordance with the present invention,there is provided a somewhat L-shaped lever or bell crank 54 which ispivotally mounted as indicated at 55 (FIG. 11) to the remainder of thetemperature control mechanism 50 so as to selectively position thecontact 53b of the switch 53. In the position shown in FIG. 3 of thedrawings, the switch 53 is in the open position. The bell crank 54includes a long, upwardly extending arm, the purpose of which willbecome apparent from the ensuing description.

The details of the temperature responsive control means 50 and theelectrical circuit connected to the terminals 24a and 24b of thesheathed heating element 22 form no part of the present invention and nofurther description is included herewith. It will be understood that theswitch 53 controlled by the bimetal or bimetallic element 52 willcontrol the current supplied to the heating element 22 in a mannerunderstood by those skilled in the art. An important feature of thepivotally mounted lever or bell crank 54 is that it is pivoted beneaththe reservoir 45 and extends around the back of the same so as not tointerfere in any way with the volume of the reservoir nor to require apassageway therethrough as was commonly required with prior artarrangements.

So that the pressing iron 20 of the present invention provides a morepleasing appearance insofar as the top of the sole plate and the partssupported thereon, such as water reservoir 45 and the temperatureresponsive control means 5t), are concerned, there is provided a covershell 56 which is provided with a suitable somewhat keyhole-shapedopening 57 at the front thereof and a small opening 58 at the rear. Theopening 57 is necessary to afford access to the water reservoir 45 whilethe opening 58 accommodates the water gauge described hereinafter. Thecover shell 56 is provided with spaced rearwardly directed tabs 56a(FIGS. 3 and 5) whereby the cover shell may be secured to a somewhatH-shaped bracket support 59 (FIGS. 3, 5 and ll) attached to the soleplate 21 by suitable fastening means 69 in a manner similar to thatdisclosed in the above-mentioned lepson et al. patent. The front of thecover shell 56 is provided with an extension of the opening 57 throughwhich the threaded end 49a of stud 49 extends whereby it may be usedsimultaneously to secure a handle 62 described hereinafter to the shell56 and reservoir 45.

A suitable handle 62 is provided to permit the operator to manipulatethe pressing iron in the desired manner. This handle is preferablyformed of a molded insulating material, such as one of the manysynthetic resins capable of withstanding relatively high temperatures inthe neigr borhood of 275300 F. As illustrated, the handle 62 issubstantially of D-shape and comprises a base or skirt portion 62a ofsomewhat the same configuration as the upper surface of the cover shell56 and a pair of somewhat vertical posts 62b and 620 interconnected atthe top by a hand grip portion 62d. This entire handle is preferablymolded in a one-piece construction. Both the front and rear posts 62band 620 are hollow and, as illustrated, the rear post 620 defines achamber 63 into which the upwardly projecting portion of the bell crank54 extends, as well as other elements described in detail hereinafter.The hand grip portion 62d is also hollow but contains a pair of spacedupwardy extending ribs 622 and 62 best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings.The chamber defined in the hand grip portion 62d is designated by thereference numeral 64. The forward post 62b is also provided with ahollow chamber and the needle valve control member 47 extends upwardlythrough this chamber 65 and through an integral wall portion 62g whichseparates the chambers 64 and 65. The wall portion 62g effectivelydefines the top of the chamber 65 and this wall portion is provided witha plurality of openings designated as 67, 68 and 69, the latter definingan opening through which the control rod 47 for the needle valveextends.

The lower portion of the chamber 65 is conected through the opening 57in the cover shell 56 to an opening 70 in the water reservoir 45 definedby a circular upturned rim or flange 45a. To provide a watertight sealat the junction between the handle chamber 65 and water reservoir 45,there is provided a metal ring 72 secured in the circular portion ofopening 57 in cover shell 56 thereby defining an annular space betweenring 72 and upturned rim 45a. A suitable sealing gasket 73, preferablyformed of silicone rubber, and in the form of an inverted cup, has itsdepending anular flange disposed in sealing relationship between thering 72 and an annular flange 45a. As is best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ofthe drawings, the sealing gasket 73 makes sealing engagement between thehandle 62 and the water reservoir 45, whereby any water supplied to thechamber 65 must enter the opening 76 and flow into the water reservoir45.

In order to secure the handle 62 to the rest of the pressing iron andsimultaneously to hold the gasket 72 in sealing engagement with both thereservoir and the handle 62, the front post 62b of the handle 62 isprovided with a recess 75 into which the threaded end 49a of stud 49 mayextend through a suitable opening in the wall defining the bottom ofthis recess. By means of a nut 76 threadedly engaging the threaded end4% of stud 49, the front of handle 62 is clamped to the remainder of thepressing iron 20 in a manner compressing the sealing washer 73 intosealing engagement as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.Actually, as will become apparent from the ensuing description, the stud49 and nut 76 also clamp a U-shaped control supporting frame 77 intoposition (FIGS. 3 and 4) within recess 75, the stud 49 passing throughthe bight portion 77a of this frame 77. The rear portion of the handle62 is secured by suitable screws 78 to the bracket 59, as best shown inFIG. 5 of the drawings. These screws 7 8 extend through the tabs 56a ofcover shell 56 thereby camping the rear portion of cover shell 56 andhandle 62 to the bracket 59.

For the purpose of filling the reservoir 45, a filling passageway 65a isprovided which is effectively a lateral extension of the chamber 65opening at the front of post 6211, as is clearly shown in FIG. 3 of thedrawings. It will be apparent that when the iron is resting on its heelin the manner shown in FIG. 12 of the drawings that water may readily bepoured into the passageway 65a. This passageway 65a, as will becomeapparent from the ensuing description, also receives the spray nozzle sothat the spray may be projected from the open end of this passagewayleading to the front of the iron, and, of course, it is also thepassageway through which the contents of reservoir 45 may be emptied.Preferably, and for decorative purposes, the entrance to the passageway65a is defined by a collar or flange member 79 secured in any suitablemanner to the walls defining the open end of passageway 65a.

As in the above-mentioned Jepson and Vieceli copending application,water is supplied to the inlet opening 42 of the spray steam generator33 from the water reservoir 45. Since the pressure in the spray steamgenerator 33 may be relatively high, a suitable pump, generallyindicated at 81 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided. As in the above-mentionedJepson and Vieceli application, the bottom of the reservoir 45 isprovided with a depending pump well 82 for the pump 81. The bottom ofthis well is provided with an opening 83 comprising the pump outletwhich is connected to a water conduit 84 and a check valve 85 to thewater inlet opening 42 in the cover 36 leading to the flash-over spraygenerator 33. Connected to the steam outlet opening 43 of the spraygenerator 33 is a steam conduit 86 (FIGS. 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10) which isdisposed outside the reservoir 45, the reservoir preferably beingprovided with a groove or indentation 87 along one side and over the topfor receiving this steam conduit. To insure a satisfactory seal betweenthe spray steam generating chamber 33 and the check valve 85 and steamconduit 86, annular sealing gaskets 88 and 89 are provided. Thesegaskets preferably formed of a silicone rubber are compressed betweencover 36 and reservoir 45, as best shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings.Preferably cover 36 is provided with raised projections 36c and 36d forretaining the lower portions of gaskets 88 and 39, respectively.

Steam conduit 86 is connected to a spray nozzle 90 located in thepassageway 65a at the forward part of the handle so as to discharge afine spray of water particles broken up by the steam through the fillingopening for the reservoir 45 and, consequently, in front of the soleplate 21. The spray nozzle 99 may be substantially identical with thatdisclosed and claimed in the above-mentioned Pepson and Viecelicopending application. As in that copending application, a water conduit91 is connected to the spray nozzle 99 which conduit has its inlet enddisposed in a well 92 defined in the bottom of the water reservoir 45,as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 of the drawings. Preferably the lower endof the water conduit 91 is provided with a suitable screen 93 to preventany foreign matter adjacent its inlet end from reaching the spray nozzle90. Similarly a screen 94 (FIG. 10) is provided for the inlet end ofsteam conduit 86. The steam flowing through conduit 86 and enteringnozzle 90 draws water through water conduit 91. This water in nozzle 90is broken up into fine particles of water so as to produce a spray ofvery finely divided water particles and steam.

It will be appreciated that the pump 81 is necessary to supply water tothe spray generator 33 against the relatively high pressures that aredeveloped therein and the check valve 85 is provided to prevent anysurging of steam back through the conduit 84 when the pressure producedby the pump 81 is released. The pump 81 may be substantially identicalwith that disclosed in the abovementioned Jepson and Vieceli copendingapplication and is illustrated as comprising a piston 95, preferablymolded from a suitable resilient material connected to a reciprocatingpump rod 96. The piston 95 is disposed for reciprocation within the pumpwell 82 and the pump rod 96 eX- tends through the chamber 65 in thehandle 62 and through the opening 67 in wall 62g so that the upper endthereof is disposed within the handle chamber 64. A suitable compressionspring 98 surrounds the upper end of the pump rod 96 above the wallportion 62g and is compressed between wall 62g and means secured to theupper end of rod 96 to normally bias the pump rod 96 and the associatedpiston 95 to the upward position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings.It will readily be apparent that when the piston 95 is in the uppermostposition shown, water from the reservoir 45 may enter the well 82.

For the purpose of guiding the lower end of the pump rod 96, the upperend being guided by the opening 67 in the wall 62g, and also to preventforeign matter from entering the pump well 82, there is provided ascreen member 1% (FIGS. 3, 4 and 7) overlying the pump well 82. Thescreen is provided with a frame having an extension 109a which isclamped into position by the means 46. An opening in the upper part ofthe screen guides the lower end of the pump rod 96.

An important feature of the present invention resides in providing atransparent closure for the top of chamber 64 in the handle 62. To thisend the top of handle 62 is provided with an elongated opening 103, theboundaries of which are defined by a peripheral ledge 1104, best shownin FIG. 4 of the drawings. Supported on this ledge is a transparentclosure member 105, the forward end of which is preferably held in placeby the member 79, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, and the rearend of which is secured to the handle 62 by a suitable fastening means197. Supported on the ledge 194 beneath the transparent member is athin, flexible member 198 which preferably includes suitable indiciawith respect to the control means described hereinafter. The flexibleindicia supporting member 163 is provided with an elongated slot 109which provides a viewing window for a water level gauge comprising atransparent tube 110, best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 11 of the drawings.As is clearly shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, this liquid level gaugeor tube 116 is preferably formed of transparent material and has anintermediate portion thereof supported within aligned notches 111 and112 defined in the top of ribs 622 and 62 so that this intermediateportion will be held directly beneath the viewing window 109. One end ofthe liquid level gauge 110 extends through handle chamber 63 and isconnected to the rear top portion of the reservoir 45, as indicated at113 (FIGS. 3, and 12), while the forward portion thereof is connected toa suitable nipple 114 disposed in the opening 68 in the wall 62g ofhandle 62. When the iron is in the ironing position shown in FIG. 3 ofthe drawings, no water will be present in the liquid level gauge orindicator 110 regardless of the amount of water in the reservoir 45.However, when the pressing iron 20 is placed on its heel rest, as shownin FIG. 12 of the drawings, it will be apparent that the connection 113at the rear of the water reservoir 45 then becomes a connection at thevery bottom of this reservoir when in the upended position. Morever,Water will flow into the liquid level gauge 110 so as to indicate asclearly shown in FIG. 12 of the drawings the level of the liquid Withinthe reservoir 45 and, thus, indicate to the user the amount of watercontained in this reservoir. It is obvious that the user willperiodically place the iron on its heel rest, as shown in FIG. 12 of thedrawings, and on those occasions can readily determine the amount ofwater contained in the water reservoir. Preferably the portion of thetransparent tube 11% disposed immediately beneath the window 169 andvisible through the transparent cover 1G5 has the bottom thereof coatedwith a narrow line of a bright colored material. When the plastic tube11% is filled with water, the magnifying or lens etlect of the water inthe cylindrical tube will cause this colored line to be greatlymagnified and will indicate precisely and readily to the user the levelof the liquid in the tube 116 when disposed in the position shown inFIG. 12 of the drawings, and, consequently, will indicate the amount ofwater contained within the reservoir 45.

For the purpose of manually actuating the pump 81 there is provided afinger-actuated trigger member 115 disposed in a recess defined in theunderside of the handle portion 62d, as best shown in FIG. 3 in thedrawings. This trigger member 115 is in the nature of a lever pivotallymounted about a pivot shaft 116 suitably supported in the U-shapedcontrol supporting frame 77', as best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.The trigger 115 is provided with a bifurcated portion comprising sideplates 115a and 11517 through which the pivot shaft 116 extends, whichside plates are interconnected at the end remote from thefinger-engaging portion 115C thereof by a cross piece 115d. This crosspiece 115:! is adapted to overlie the upper end of the pump rod 96. Thecompression spring )8 biases the trigger 115 in a clockwise directionabout shaft 116 as viewed in FIG. 3 of the drawings and this clockwiserotation is limited by virtue of a lug 115a on the trigger 115 engaginga projection 62h provided in the handle portion 62d, as clearly shown inFIG. 3 of the drawings. It will be apparent that the housewife whosefingers encircle the hand grip portion 62d of the handle 62 can readilymanipulate the handle engaging portion 115s of the trigger 115 with theforefinger of her hand and, thus, actuate the pump 81 with the resultthat a spray is produced at the nozzle 99.

It should be understood that the openings 67, 68 and 69 in the wallportion 62g of handle 62 are provided with suitable sealing means, notshown, so that water poured into the filling opening comprising thepassageway 65a leading to chamber 65 will not be able to enter thechamber 64 through these openings.

In order to provide fingertip control of the metering valve element 47,there is provided a control knob shaft 118 (FIGS. 3 and 4) supported :bythe upper ends of the control supporting frame 77 within chamber 64.This shaft 118 is disposed in spaced parallel relationship with triggerpivot shaft 116. Rotatably mounted on this shaft 118 is a manuallyactuatable steam control knob 119 preferably in the form of a segmentaldisk having a laterally projecting hub portion 119a from which thereextends in a forward direction a forked portion 11% for receivingtherebetween a portion 47a of reduced cross section of the valve element47 disposed within chamber 64. An L-shaped projection 77b of theU-shaped control supporting frame 77 supports an upwardly extending pin121 for retaining the lower end of a compression spring 122, the upperend of which engages an integral projection 11% of the manual steamcontrol knob 119. So that the housewife may readily manipulate knob 119,a portion thereof extends through aligned openings in transparentclosure member 195 and flexible indieia supporting member 168. Theopening in transparent cover member for knob 119 is designated as 124.The finger engaging portion of the steam control knob 119 is preferablyknurled, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, so that it may readilybe actuated by the housewife. It is intended that this control be eitherin the open or closed position. Preferably suitable indieia may beapplied to the top surface of the flexible indieia supporting member 188adjacent the steam control knob 119 which will be visible through thetransparent closure member 195 and Will indicate the ON or OFF conditionof the steam control.

For the purpose of providing sel ctive temperature control, there isalso rotata bly supported on the shaft 113 a temperature control knob125 which is preferably in the form of a knurled disk having the knurledportion thereof projecting through aligned openings in transparentmember 1115 and flexible indicia supporting member 1118 in the samemanner as knob 119. The opening in member 165 for knob 125 is designatedas 127. R0- tatable with the temperature control knob 125 is a gear 128which engages teeth 129 arranged in a rack-like manner on an elongatedlongitudinally movable force transmitting member 130 disposed in chamber64 and slidable in suitable aligned grooves or notches, not shown,defined in ribs 62c and 62 respectively, which may be similar to notches111 and 112. Preferably the longitudinally movable force transmittingrod 130 is provided with a looped portion 130a and the rack teeth 129are defined along one edge of the means defining the loop portion sothat the gear 128 is received within the plane of the loop and,consequently, the ends of the loop will determine the extreme limits ofmovement of the rod 130. The rear end of the rod 139 is connected bysuit able adjustable coupling means 132 with the bell crank 54-, theadjustable means 132 providing for calibration of the temperaturecontrol means.

In order to provide an indication of the particular setting of thetemperature control knob 125, the force transmitting rod 13% is providedwith a cross member 13% at the forward end thereof movable with the rodwithin the chamber 64. This cross member is preferably coated with acolored material of a highly reflective type such as a daylightfiuoroscent coating. Preferably, also, the flexible indieia supportingmember 108 is provided with a plurality of pairs of spaced openings 134,as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, and with suitable indiciaindicating the particular setting of knob 125 when the cross member isvisible through particular pairs of said openings, thus indicating tothe user the particular temperature setting. It will be appreciated thatthe temperature control means described in no way interfere with thewater reservoir 45 since the mechanical connections comprising elements54 and 13% extend around the exterior thereof.

It should be understood that the pressing iron of the present inventionmay have the conventional metal heel rest which has heretofore beenemployed in which case the cover shell 56 would be provided with anextending portion projecting beyond the rear of the handle 62 and theprojecting portion would be closed by a suitable closure plate, as fullydisclosed in the above-mentioned .lepson et al. patent. In accordancewith the present invention, however, there is provided a molded plasticheel rest, generally indicated at 136, best shown in FIGS. 3, and 11 ofthe drawings. The forward portion of this heel rest adjacent the soleplate 21 is preferably provided with a pair of spaced recesses 13% andll37b for receiving projections 59a and 59b of the bracket 59 whichprojections extend beyond the rear of the sole plate 21, thuspositioning the heel rest 136 relative to the sole plate 21. A singlefastening means in the form of a screw 13? threadedly engages a tappedopening in the handle 62 securely to hold the plastic heel rest 136 inposition. The plastic heel rest is preferably provided with openings 139and 140 on either side thereof for accommodating the conventional strainrelief 141 associated with the usual power cord. Two openings areprovided so that the iron may have the power cord coming in either onthe right hand side or the left hand side depending on whether thehousewife is right handed or left handed. In FIG. 5 of the drawings, thestrain relief 141 is disposed in opening 140 and the opening 139 isclosed by a suitable closure plus 142. Obviously, strain relief 141 andplug 14?. may have their positions interchanged.

It will be understood that the terminals 24a and 24b of the heatingelement 22 are connected by suitable conducting members 143 and 144,respectively, with a stack of interleaved insulating and conductingmembers, generally designated as 146 forming a part of thetemperatureresponsive control means 5t Electrical connections with theconductors in the power cord are also made to the stack 146 in a mannerwell understood by those skilled in the art so that when the switch 53is closed and the power cord associated with the strain relief 141 isconnected to a source of electric energy, the heating element 22 isenergized.

In view of the detailed description included above, the operation of thepressing iron of the present invention will readily be understood bythose skilled in the art. The operator by means of the thumb andforefinger can control the water pump, the temperature setting and thesteam control knob. When it is desired to produce a spray, the operatormerely actuates the trigger 115 which causes water which has accumulatedin the pump well 82 to pass through the passageway 83, through theconduit 84 and the check valve 85 into the inlet of the spray steamgenerator 33. Due to the restricted passageways involved, a sustainedsupply of water will be provided over a period of time, such as five toten seconds, with one actuation of the trigger 115. This water will beinstantly flashed into steam and by the time it enters the spray nozzle90, it will be in the form of superheated steam so as to cause waterparticles aspirated through water conduit 91 to be broken up into finewater particles and mixed with the steam.

When the pressing iron 2ft is set upon its plastic heel rest 136, thewater gauge 110 will be effective to tell the housewife the amount ofwater contained within the reservoir 45. It will be appreciated thatthere has been provided a pressing iron which may be used as a steam, adry or a spray iron and in which the optimum operating conditions of thespray principle, the steam principle and the dry ironing principle maybe employed. Moreover, a very simple construction of two separate steamgenerators with a common cover plate for both steam generators has beendescribed and novel means for actuating the temperature controls, pumpand steam controls are included.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from theinvention in its broader aspects and it is, therefore, contemplated inthe appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. In a pressing iron, a sole plate, an electric U-shaped heatingelement for said sole plate, a first U-shaped steam generating chamberdefined in said sole plate in good heat transfer relationship with saidheating element, a second U-shaped steam generating chamber defined insaid sole plate independent of said first steam generating chamber andalso in good heat transfer relationship with said heating element, saidU-shaped heating element and said U-shaped steam generating chambersbeing nested together, a common cover for both of said steam generatingchambers, and means for securing said cover to said sole plate.

2. In a pressing iron, a sole plate, a U-shaped electric heating elementfor said sole plate, a first U-shaped steam generating chamber definedin said sole plate in good heat transfer relationship with said heatingelement and enclosed within the confines of the outer edge of saidU-shaped heating element, a second U-shaped steam generating chamberdefined in said sole plate independent of said first steam generatingchamber and also in good heat transfer relationship with said heatingelement, said second steam generating chamber defined outside of saidU-shaped heating element, and a common cover for both of said steamgenerating chambers secured to said sole plate.

3. In a pressing iron, a sole plate, a U-shaped heating element embeddedin said sole plate, a first steam generating chamber defined in saidsole plate along the inside and top surfaces of said U-shaped heatingelement, a second steam generating chamber defined in said sole platealong the outside surface of said U- shaped heating element, said twosteam generators being completely independent of each other, a commoncover for both of said steam generating chambers overlying said soleplate and heating element, and means for securing said cover to saidsole plate.

4. The pressing ir-on of claim 3 wherein said cover is provided with apair of water inlets for said steam generating chambers, and a steamoutlet for one of said steam generating chambers.

5. A'combined steam and spray iron comprising a sole plate, a U-shapedheating element embedded in said sole plate, a first steam generatingchamber defined in said sole plate within the confines of the outsideedge of said U-shaped heating element, a second U-shaped steamgenerating chamber independent of said first steam generating chamberdefined in said sole plate along the outside edge of said heatingelement, and a cover overlying said sole plate and secured thereto, saidcover defining a closure for both said steam generating chambers.

6. In a steam iron the combination of a handle and a sole plateoperatively related thereto, a water reservoir overlying said sole plateand secured thereto, said handle overlying said reservoir, a heel reston said iron, and tubular means extending within said handleinterconnecting the front and rear of said reservoir, means defining awindow in said handle for viewing a portion of said tubular meansextending therein, said portion of said tubular means being formed oftransparent material, whereby when said iron is disposed on said heelrest the level of the water in said reservoir will be indicated by thelevel of the liquid in said portion.

'7. The steam iron of claim 6 wherein said handle includes a hand gripportion and said window is defined in the top of said hand grip portion.

8. The steam iron of claim 7 wherein said portion is supported beneathsaid window by means integrally formed with said handle.

9. A steam iron comprising a sole plate, a steam generating chamberdefined in said sole plate, a water reservoir overlying said steamgenerating chamber, a handle for said iron including a hand gripportion, means for supplying water from said reservoir to said steamgenerating chamber, means comprising a transparent conduitinterconnecting two spaced points on said reservoir for indicating theliquid level in said reservoir, means defining a passageway in said handgrip portion, said transparent conduit including a section extendingthrough said passageway, and a heel rest for said iron, said sectionwhen said iron is disposed on said heel rest receiving water from saidreservoir to the level of the water in said reservoir.

10. A steam iron comprising a sole plate and a handle for manipulatingthe same, a steam generating chamber in said sole plate, a waterreservoir overlying said sole plate, means for supplying Water from saidreservoir to said steam generating chamber, said handle including a handgrip portion, a passageway defined in said hand grip portion open at theside thereof remote from said s-ole plate, a transparent cover forclosing said open side, moveable control means for said iron disposed insaid passageway, and manually actuatable temperature selecting meansextending through said cover for manipulating said control means.

11. The steam iron of claim 10 including temperature responsive controlmeans mounted on said sole plate beneath said Water reservoir, 2. bellcrank operatively connected to said temperature responsive control meansand extending around one end of said reservoir with an end thereofdisposed into said passageway, said moveable control means comprising alongitudinally moveable member connected to said end.

12. The steam iron of claim 10 wherein said manually actuatabletemperature selecting means comprises a rotatable disk supported in saidpassageway including a gear portion connected thereto, and meansdefining a rack on said longitudinally moveable member for engaging saidgear portion.

13. The steam iron of claim 10 wherein said rack is defined on theinside edge of a closed loop forming a part of said longitudinallymoveable member, the ends of said loop defining stop means determiningthe extreme settings of said manually actuatable temperature selectingmeans.

14. A steam iron comprising a sole plate and a handle for manipulatingthe same, a steam generating chamber in said sole plate, a waterreservoir overlying said sole plate, means for supplying water from saidreservoir to said steam generating chamber, said handle including a handgrip portion, a passageway defined in said hand grip portion open at theside thereof remote from said sole plate, a transparent cover forclosing said open side, moveable control means for controlling thetemperature of said sole plate disposed in said passageway, manuallyactuatable means extending through said cover for manipulating saidmoveable control means, and a tubular member including a transparentsection interconnecting the front and the rear of said reservoir, saidtransparent section and a portion of said moveable control means beingdisposed in said passageway so as to be visible through said coverthereby providing water level indicating means for said reservoir and anindication of the temperature setting of said iron.

15. In a steam iron a sole plate and a handle for manipulating the same,a steam generating chamber in said sole plate, a water reservoiroverlying said sole plate, means for supplying water from said reservoirto said steam generating chamber, said handle including a hand gripportion, a passageway defined in said hand grip portion open at the sidethereof remote from said sole plate, said handle including a hollow rearpost extending from the rear of said hand grip portion, a transparentcover for closing said open side, temperature responsive control meansmounted on said sole plate beneath said reservoir, manually actuatabletemperature selecting means extending through said cover, moveablecontrol means operatively interconnecting said manually actuatabletemperature selecting means and said temperature responsive controlmeans extending around the rear of said reservoir through said hollowrear post into said passageway, and indicating means on said moveablecontrol means visible through said cover for indicating the temperaturesetting of said manually actuatable temperature selecting means.

16. A pressing iron comprising a sole plate and a handle formanipulating said iron, said handle including a generally horizontalhollow hand grip portion supported by a pair of hollow posts, said handgrip portion and posts being integrally related, a plurality of chambersincluding a first one defined in said hand grip portion and a second andthird defined one in each of said posts, means defining an opening atthe top of said handle alfording access to said first chamber, atransparent cover for closing said opening,temperature responsivecontrol means associated with said sole plate, a rotatable control knobdisposed in said first chamber having a portion extending outside saidchamber through an opening in said cover, movable means extending withinsaid first chamber and one of the chambers in said posts operativelyinterconnecting said knob and said temperature responsive control means,and indicating means secured to said moveable means and visible throughsaid cover for indicating the setting of said control knob.

17. A steam iron comprising a sole plate and a handle for manipulatingsaid iron, a water reservoir overlying said sole plate, a steamgenerator defined in said sole plate, valve means for controlling theflow of water from said water reservoir to said steam generatingchamber, said handle including a generally horizontal hollow hand gripportion supported by a pair of hollow posts, said hand grip portion andposts being integrally related, a plurality of chambers including afirst one defined in said hand grip portion and a second and thirddefined one in each of said posts, means defining an opening at the topof said handle affording access to said first chamber, a transparentcover for closing said opening, temperature responsive control meansassociated with said sole plate, a first rotatable control knob disposedin said first chamber having a portion extending outside said chamberthrough a first opening in said cover, movable means extending withinsaid first chamber and one of the chambers in said posts operativelyinterconnecting said knob and said temperature responsive control means,indicating means secured to said movable means and visible through saidcover for indicating the setting of said control knob, a secondrotatable control knob disposed in said first chamber adjacent saidfirst control knob having a portion extending outside said chamberthrough a second opening in said cover, and means operativelyinterconnecting said second control knob and said valve means.

18. The steam iron of claim 17 wherein a spray generator is provided insaid sole plate, means including a pump for supplying water from saidwater reservoir to said spray generator, and pump actuating means forsaid pump including a manually actuatable lever disposed in saidpassageway and including a portion extending outside of said passagewayimmediately beneath said hand grip portion.

19. The steam iron of claim 18 wherein a conduit including a transparentportion disposed in said passageway interconnects the front and rear ofsaid reservoir, said transparent portion being visible through saidcover whereby all controls and indications relative to said iron aredisposed within said passageway.

20. In a steam iron the combination of a handle including a hand gripportion, a sole plate operatively related to said handle, a waterreservoir overlying said sole plate and secured thereto, said handleoverlying said reservoir, a heel rest on said iron for supporting saidiron on a generally vertical position, and tubular means connected tothe rear of said reservoir and extending forwardly generally parallelwith said hand grip portion and on a level with the same, said tubularmeans being formed of transparent material whereby when said iron isdisposed on said heel rest the level of the water in said reservoir willbe indicated by the level of the liquid in said transparent tubularmeans.

21. The combination of claim 20 wherein said handle includes meansdefining spaced recesses for receiving and supporting said tubularmeans.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Wiggins 38-77Waring et al. 38 77 Gomersall et a1 3890 X Rollman 3890 X Finlayson 3877Paulic 3877 Kistner 38-77 Jepson 3877 Sardeson 38-77 Seyfried et al 3877Hoecker 38-77 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A PRESSING IRON, A SOLE PLATE, AN ELECTRIC U-SHAPED HEATINGELEMENT FOR SAID SOLE PLATE, A FIRST U-SHAPED STEAM GENERATING CHAMBERDEFINED IN SAID SOLE PLATE IN GOOD HEAT TRANSFER RELATIONSHIP WITH SAIDHEATING ELEMENT, A SECOND U-SHAPED STEAM GENERATING CHAMBER DEFINED INSAID SOLE PLATE INDEPENDENT OF SAID FIRST STEAM GENERATING CHAMBER ANDALSO IN GOOD HEAT TRANSFER RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID HEATING ELEMENT, SAIDU-SHAPED HEATING ELEMENT AND SAID U-SHAPED STEAM GENERATING CHAMBERSBEING NESTED TOGETHER, A COMMON COVER FOR BOTH OF SAID STEAM GENERATINGCHAMBERS, AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID COVER TO SAID SOLE PLATE.